Film-maker's Camera Eye is up and shooting

Film-maker Rob Spence has announced that his 'Camera Eye' is now fully functioning (Image: Rob Spence)

When he was nine years old, Toronto film-maker Rob Spence received a severe injury to his right eye in a shotgun accident. After a period of hiding the aftermath under an eyepatch, six years ago he had the eye replaced with a prosthesis. Being a visual artist, however, he had an idea - instead of just an unseeing artificial eye, he wanted one that could capture images of what he was looking at, and wirelessly transmit them to an external recording device. He himself wouldn't be able to see through the eye, but the footage obtained from it could take film-making to new levels. It's been a few years since Spence began his Eyeborg Project, but he has just announced that the eye is now functioning.

Spence's artificial eye contains a tiny video camera, a battery and transmitter, and sends an understandably somewhat grainy live picture from that camera to a small handheld monitor - from there, it could be recorded. There aren't yet many details available on exactly how the camera works or was made, but Rob has promised on his blog that such information should be posted soon.

San Francisco artist Tanya Marie Vlach has a very similar project underway - she lost her left eye in a car accident, and is now working on replacing it with a camera eye, that will play a part in a variety of art works.

In the meantime, Spence has presented a short documentary on the current state of high-tech prostheses, which includes footage of his eye in action. Video game company Square Enix commissioned him to produce the piece to promote its Deus Ex: Human Revolution game, which features a character with a camera eye.

The Eyeborg Project documentary can be viewed below, but be warned, there are gory parts.

An experienced freelance writer, videographer and television producer, Ben's interest in all forms of innovation is particularly fanatical when it comes to human-powered transportation, film-making gear, environmentally-friendly technologies and anything that's designed to go underwater. He lives in Edmonton, Alberta, where he spends a lot of time going over the handlebars of his mountain bike, hanging out in off-leash parks, and wishing the Pacific Ocean wasn't so far away. All articles by Ben CoxworthFollow @bencoxworth

Fascinating project, but not sure that I'd want WiFi transmissions that close to my brain, albeit, I imagine, fairly low powered.

Mike Hallett 30th August, 2011 @ 05:14 am PDT

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex had used the concepts of cameras in eyes in one of the episodes of the first season as a twist. The idea is not new but I am surprised that the images are grainy, what really impresses me is the fact that there is a battery in there.

Richard Fernandes 30th August, 2011 @ 05:37 am PDT

Now they just need to incorporate a projector into the 'eye,' so they can throw the images up on any handy wall.

Facebook User 30th August, 2011 @ 07:52 am PDT

Catching up to Steve Austin, the Six Million Dollar Man?

Luddite 30th August, 2011 @ 01:06 pm PDT

Wow! The possibilities are countless!

Lina Marcela 2nd September, 2011 @ 01:07 pm PDT

@Calvin P Oxnard III: I don't think that would work. The projection would show the projection being projected all the time, as the eye should face the projection to project what the eye is seeing.